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Web apps: Google vs the rest

Posted on 14 Nov 2008 at 12:21

We find out how Google's chrome-optimised web apps compare to its rivals.

OFFICE SUITE

Google Docs and Spreadsheet has come a long way since we first reviewed the online suite in January 2007 and concluded that it was only suitable for the "very basics". While still a country mile away from the sophistication of Office 2007, new features in the word processor and spreadsheet applications have made them more than just a cheap way to share a document online.

Google Docs can now be used offline, with a copy of all your files stored locally and resynchronised with the server when you next go online. The actual apps have improved in quality too: Spreadsheet now offers the option to graph data, for example, while the recently-added Form application provides a simple way to conduct and collate online surveys.

The sheer grunt added to Google's apps by Chrome's new V8 JavaScript engine is powerfully illustrated by Presentation. A 16-slide presentation took 90 seconds to open in IE7, 30 seconds to open in Firefox 3 and only five seconds in Chrome.

The rivals: Google's office apps may perpetually improve, but they still can't match the sophistication of online office rival Zoho.com. While Zoho doesn't react with the fluidity that Google Docs now does with Chrome, its range of document-formatting options and word processor/spreadsheet features far outstrips Google's. If it's outright elegance of document design you're looking for, the one-trick pony that is Adobe's Buzzword knocks both Google and Zoho into a cocked hat.

EMAIL
Google's Gmail shot to prominence by offering unprecedented amounts of storage. But with all webmail providers now offering gigabytes of storage, what's unique about Gmail today?

In a word: speed. Opening and closing messages in Gmail is, arguably, faster than with desktop applications such as Outlook. Searching through the gigabytes of email that Google practically begs you never to delete is also a moment's work.

The threaded conversations might not be to everyone's taste, but features such as full IMAP support, integrated instant messaging and interesting new Labs plug-ins (such as quick links to regular searches) add further polish to Gmail's crown.

The rivals: After struggling with a vast redesign, Windows Live Hotmail has made huge strides in performance, but a predilection for spam remains Hotmail's bête noir. Perhaps the most intriguing rival is newcomer GMX, which offers 1GB of online file storage in addition to a 5GB inbox quota, and a traditional - if slightly erratic - desktop app feel.

PHOTOS
Google hasn't entirely kicked the desktop application habit, and still relies on the Picasa application for photo editing. However, the accompanying Picasa Web Albums has been given a revamp and now includes face detection, which scans your albums and groups together pictures of the same person, so they can be easily tagged. It's far from flawless, but it certainly eases the tagging of a large photo collection.

All editing features are abdicated to the desktop app, leaving Google trailing rivals that offer both editing and album storage from the browser. But for how much longer, we wonder?

The rivals: Photoshop.com (formerly Photoshop Express) offers a powerful selection of editing tools and 2GB of storage for showing off those smart-looking effects. However, there's no option to print photos locally. The combination of Flickr.com's photo sharing service and Picknik.com's array of editing tools (revealed when you click to edit a photo in Flickr) are hard to beat.